SAMUEL WELLMAN

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An arrangement for flute and piano of this devotional gospel tune. I set three verses; a fun key change happens at the refrain for the second verse. The music becomes more florid as it proceeds. The flute part begins simply but becomes more complicated.

Near the Cross

Flute Solo with Piano

One of my earliest Christmas arrangements follows a common pattern: slow, meditative middle section, with livelier outer sections. (I have a second version of the tune which is more difficult.) The first section highlights the melody in the right hand while the left is occupied with tricky finger work. In the dreamy middle part, note the canon in bar 50. (Thank you, JSBach!) The final section has a difficult passage for left hand octaves. Practice practice!

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Piano Solo

From my fanciful collection 'Melodies of Ficklepenny.' 'Ficklepenny' is a fabricated word, and the individual titles are purposely nonsensical. In 'Elixir' I begin with a right-hand ostinato of minor ninths, under which the left hand plays the quirky melody in some sort of key (maybe).

Elixir of Tonic

A lyric and harmonically rich arrangement of the tune. As always, my writing for left hand is more demanding than what you typically find; the double stops starting in bar 62 need special attention. I also favor longer pedals, so for instance you can hold the damper pedal down for the final five bars for a fuller effect.

We Three Kings

From my humorous collection "Folksongs of Antarctica." Of course, Antarctica has no folksongs since no one lives there (except random scientists). But if people did live there, this is the imagined result. Naturally, penguins don't fly, and they're already about as south as one can be. Just some humor to brighten your day. I supplied a few lyrics, but you don't have to sing. Watch out for the double sharps.

When Penguins Fly South

A technically challenging arrangement of the Ukrainian carol. One of the difficulties I faced was to give harmonic variety to the 4-note motive featured in the tune. The outer sections of my arrangement are properly fast, whereas the central section is much slower and meditative, even improvisatory. Ending in the key of a minor made it easy to have a crashing end on the lowest note of the piano!

Carol of the Bells

From my humorous collection 'Folksongs of Antarctica.' A LOT of 'little snowflakes' have fallen on this frigid land. Have fun with the 11/8 meter. My piece features a speech rhythm since the title can be set as a lyric to the first four notes, a recurring motive. Is my piece in F# major? In B lydian? D# minor? Maybe all of the above.

Little Snowflake

A challenging arrangement of the iconic folksong. I preserve the melody unchanged, with full harmonies, often of an extended nature (ninths, elevenths, etc.). Each verse is in a minor key; after three verses, the music takes an unexpected turn in bar 57, becoming agitated and more dissonant, not referring at all to the tune. Two more verses follow, and a brief coda takes one to a quiet, sad ending.

Sakura, Op. 155

Did you ever get tired of hearing 'Fur Elise'? Here's an antidote: my severely messed-up version, complete with 'wrong' notes added, thickened textures, and nonsensical performance instructions in the manner of Erik Satie. The original is still obvious, though it now tends toward the dreaded atonal void. My apologies, Ludwig!

Furry Lizards, Op. 64

A florid arrangement for flute and piano of this beloved Christmas tune. The flute doesn't always have the melody; for instance, in bar 12 the piano presents the melody while the flute makes a duet in a higher register. Ornamenting the melody becomes more prominent and complex as the piece proceeds. Key changes, as always, provide additional variety.

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

The curious title is a corruption of the name 'Beethoven.' For my model I chose the first movement of Beethoven's Sonata in G, Op. 49 No.2, a popular work which is not overly difficult. I took the original and divided each bar in half, moving most of the halves to different keys not too distant from G. For instance, in bar 1 the first half is in G; the second half is in A flat. In bar 2 the first half is in A; the second half is back to A flat. I followed this procedure throughout. Except for transposing, I didn't change a single note of the original until the last measure, where you should resist the temptation to resolve the dominant seventh! The result is rather unsettling, like looking at your reflection in a broken mirror.

Beets in the Oven, Op. 157

A challenging arrangement of the Christmas tune by Renaissance composer Michael Praetorius. There are many chords from the jazz lexicon, without the characteristic jazz rhythms. Experienced players will find the passages where both hands can be used interchangeably even though the notes are given on one staff. Use lots of pedal!

Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming

Piano Accompaniment Solo

From my humorous collection 'Folksongs of Antarctica.' The opening notes of the melody are a speech rhythm mimicking the title, 'In Springtime.' Note that at the ends of the second and fourth phrases I add an extra beat (the 3/2 bars). The key overall is G major but there are numerous chromatic departures. Springtime is a beautiful time of year, with budding flowers and chirping birds---oh wait: not in Antarctica.

In Springtime

From my humorous collection 'Folksongs of Antarctica.' You may think it never gets hot in Antarctica, but believe me, when it does, it's REALLY hot. I tried to create the impression of oppressive heat in this piece. Tonal materials are mixed with dissonant elements, especially half-step clashes (minor ninths, etc.). Starting in bar 11, keep the damper pedal down for three bars. This idea occurs several times. In bar 61, keep the pedal down for the remainder of the piece.

Heat

An arrangement for flute and piano of this favorite Christmas tune. I set two verses, one in D minor and the second in E minor. The piano takes the melody in the second verse. The piano part is florid throughout; the flute begins with a simple statement of the tune and then plays in a more embellished manner as the piece proceeds.

What Child Is This?

An arrangement for flute and piano of this stately tune. I set three verses; flute and piano share in presenting the melody. The third verse is the most florid, and melodic embellishing is enhanced; the technical challenge is also increased, as the piece drives to its triumphant ending.

Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah

The title and key owe a bit to Sibelius's piece of the same name, a very fine work. My piece is expressive and richly textured. I use 7/4 meter throughout, and begin with 3-bar phrases, but these odd details are hardly noticeable. Feel free to add rubato and dynamics, which aren't always meticulously marked.

Romance in D flat, Op. 207

From my collection 'Six Little Nothings' which use simple, limited materials. This piece uses only minor sevenths, solid and broken. The title refers to the Shakespeare play 'Much Ado About Nothing,' but has no relation to the play.

Not Much Ado

This is an arrangement of the Wexford carol, a unique Christmas tune which deserves to be better known. The lowered seventh and third scale degrees in the second half of the tune are remarkable and suggest many harmonic possibilities. As always, my abiding interest in arranging sacred tunes is to seek out new harmonies for the tune, as well as different striking textures. Note the canon which begins in bar 55.

Good People All, This Christmas-Time

This is my second version of the tune, probably the most famous Christmas song ever written. As the original only uses three different chords, the possibility for choosing different harmonies is practically unlimited, and that was one of my goals. The very demanding left-hand writing demands special attention. In the second verse, the left hand rolled chords can be facilitated by starting the roll early, at the end of the previous measure, and the pedal change must occur with the bottom note of each roll. That way the flow of the music is not greatly interrupted. But the principal technical problem of the entire work is the left hand of the third verse. It requires much practice yet must be rendered quietly under the all-important melody in the right hand.

Silent Night

Global Sections - CORE [DO NOT TOUCH]*

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